Candidate #1234
John Smith
INTRODUCTION
Explain your preproduction task
(thriller
storyboard) and
some broad ideas
that shaped your
planning
PRIMARY
RESEARCH
Use YOUR OWN
examples – not
those studied in
class. Students
who rely on
Silence /
Terminator and
not their own
bullet point notes
from homework
will receive a
lower grade.
Establish the
conventions of
thriller – you
could refer to
micro-feature
use, genre or
narrative
conventions, or
character etc.
AS MEDIA STUDIES
POST-PRODUCTION REPORT (1200-1600 words max.)
For my AS Media pre-production coursework, I decided to research and create a
storyboard for a sequence from a thriller film. I planned to target my film at a
mainstream audience of 18-30 y/o, as these are the typical consumers of this product.
PRIMARY RESEARCH INTO SIMILAR MEDIA PRODUCTS
To better understand the generic and technical conventions of the thriller genre, I
started my research by undertaking primary analysis of some successful contemporary
thriller films.
1. Silence of the Lambs
The first text I chose for close analysis was Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the
Lambs. The opening sequence deploys a number of conventional generic features. Low
key lighting is used, alongside an ominous piece of non-diegetic music to establish a
tone of unease and tension from the first moments. The diegetic sound is initially a
woman’s laboured breathing, which suggests she is running, as is quickly confirmed by
the cinematography, which deploys a series of handheld tracking shots to follow Jodie
Foster’s character as she runs through woodland, creating the sense for the audience
of following, or stalking the character. Audiences familiar with other examples of the
genre – such as James Cameron’s Halloween for instance - would recognise this
‘killer’s eye view’ use of the tracking shot as typical of the genre, and assume Foster’s
character is being targeted as a victim. The dominant representation of women in
thrillers is as passive victim, and the film initially seems to conform to this. When
Foster is revealed to be in fact an FBI Agent on an assault course, and is to be the
active protagonist in the film, the audience is taken by surprise, since this traditional
representation is subverted.
2. Terminator
I went on to analyse the opening of James Cameron’s Terminator. In the opening
sequence of this 1984 action-thriller, Cameron introduces a hero, a villain and a victim.
These roles are established using a wide range of techniques. For example, Cameron
makes the hero, Kyle Rees, seem vulnerable compared to the Terminator. This is
achieved in part by selecting an actor who is physically smaller than Arnold
Schwarzenegger to play Kyle Rees. Also, Reese is first introduced in a dirty side street,
surrounded by litter and filth. In contrast, the Terminator is first introduced arriving on
a hill overlooking the city, implying his dominance over the people below.
3. 5th Element
Another similar media text which I used to inform my pre-production was Luc Besson’s
1997 film The 5th Element. In this film, Besson uses mise-en-scene to establish Bruce
Willis as hero Corbin Dallas. In one early scene, the audience is told all they need to
know about Dallas’ background by the use of a close-up tracking along a shelf in his
apartment. Certain objects, like poker chips, medals, photographs and certificates all
help the audience to quickly understand the character’s back-story, and establish his
heroic nature.
SECONDARY RESEARCH: CRITICAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES
SECONDAY
RESEARCH 1
Explain what you
found out as a
result of your
research on the
internet into the
thriller genre (we
undertook this
work in class).
Also refer to and
apply your
knowledge of
relevant theories
– Todorov, Propp,
Neale etc.
Don’t just state
what you’ve
found – try to
apply it to
something you’ve
seen OR
something you
intend to do,
As well as undertaking primary research into similar media texts, I also researched and
applied the ideas of critics and theorists to help me understand the genre. I analysed
the imagery and conventions of a number of thriller posters and DVD covers, and
identified a pattern which included low key lighting and dark colours, as well as a
typically ‘rugged’ male protagonist occupying the central ground.
My research into genre theory made me familiar with the work of Steve Neale, whose
theory of repetition and difference argues that genre identities are not fixed sets of
established conventions, but are open to subversion, evolution and variation. The
opening moments of Silence of the Lambs seem to establish repetition of familiar
generic elements, but the variation of the stereotypical gender roles within the
narrative of this highly successful 1990 thriller are an excellent example of Neale’s idea
of Difference.
The wider narrative of Silence of the Lambs clearly deploys Todorov’s Five stages, with
the initial equilibrium of Clarice Starling’s FBI training being disrupted by the
information she receives from serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Archetypal character
functions, as identified by Propp, were also clearly incorporated into the narrative.
Clarice is plainly the Hero, her quest to end the serial killings of Villain Buffalo Bill and
rescue the Princess (Catherine Martell, the senator’s daughter). These clear links led
me to conclude that the thriller genre tends to conform very closely to the narrative
theories of Propp and Todorov, and I decided to incorporate this into my production by
clearly signalling the stages of equilibrium and disruption to my audience.
SECONDARY RESEARCH: AUDIENCE
Having completed this textual analysis, I undertook some Audience research to prompt
SECONDAY
RESEARCH 2
Explain what you
found out as a
result of your
research into
audience?
What audience
needs were you
trying to meet,
and how did you
use narrative/
genre/
microfeatures to
do this?
discussion and help me consider audience expectations and responses. My prior
research had led me to clearly identify a specific target audience. The demographic
profile of my target audience was 18-25, as this age group makes up the largest
percentage of all cinema audiences, and many contemporary thrillers clearly have this
age group in mind as their primary audience. Demographic profiling also suggested
that the majority of the potential audience would traditionally be male, but I was keen
not to make selections based exclusively on this gender profile as many recent thrillers
have attempted to break gender boundaries in terms of representation and audience.
Uses and Gratifications theory suggested that entertainment and escapism were the
main audience needs fulfilled by thrillers, and so I was aware that my pre-production
work needed to take these needs into account. I particularly felt that creating a strong
sense of danger and suspense, as well as meeting the expectations of the genre, would
be essential to meet the needs of my target audience, and that fast cutting would be
appropriate as the narrative moved into the Disruption stage since an 18-25 audience
has grown to expect a quicker editing style than previous generations. Psychographic
profiling of a ‘thriller’ audience is a little less exact, but I felt that in the profile
categories developed by the advertising agency Young and Rubican, the majority of my
audience were likely to fit loosely into the ‘Explorers’ profile. Such people are seen as
valuing energy, experience and sensation, and the adrenaline rush gained from the
thriller genre seemed most likely to meet these needs.
Having considered these issues, I spoke to a small number of people from both
genders within the target audience age range who I knew to already enjoy thrillers .
What they told me confirmed much of my thinking – phrases like ‘fast’, ‘exciting’,
‘forget daily life’ occurred frequently during discussions, and this seemed to agree with
my prior thinking about the kind of audience needs I was trying to fulfil. One
participant compared what he considered to be a good thriller to a theme park ride,
first moving up slowly and then providing an adrenaline-packed rollercoaster of
emotions.
However, a further point which emerged from the research was that two of the
people I spoke to, who admitted to being regular viewers of thrillers on film and
television – one of whom was a particular fan of dark TV series such as Dexter and
Breaking Bad – considered the images and approach shown in some of the thriller
posters and DVD covers I had analysed to be rather clichéd and simplistic. This
suggested to me that more informed members of the target audience might be looking
for a greater degree of surprise or subversion in my actual Pre-Production, again tying
in to what I had explored in my research into Steve Neale’s idea of Difference being as
important as Repetition to the creation of genre. For this reason, I decided to
incorporate a degree of hybridity at the outset of the sequence. I used a bright, sunlit
opening, rather than the low key or night-time lighting typical of the thriller sequences
I had analysed, and showed my character interacting in a light-hearted and nonthreatening way with others, to suggest to the audience initially that the sequence
might be from a high school romance rather than being overtly ‘thrillerish’ from the
start.
The final point which I took from my audience research was the suggestion – again
from one of the members most familiar with the genre – that I should use the
microfeatures of the sequence – and sound in particular – to ‘make the scary shots
more scary.’ He cited The Woman in Black as a good example of how sound could be
used to heighten audience reaction. Relating this to the theoretical research I had
already undertaken, I decided that all the elements available to me – non-diegetic
EVALUATION
Now consider
your actual film in
light of your
research,
planning and
storyboard.
sound, lighting, shot-choice and editing – could be used to highlight the key moment of
Disruption in my Pre-Production.
EVALUATION OF PRODUCT
What worked
well? How far
does your film
match what you
learned in your
primary and
secondary
research?
How technically
strong is it in
terms of microfeature use?
I used my pre-production to develop the final film – a sequence from a film thriller
which I entitled “Hostage”. I was very pleased with the way the film introduces the
characters of the villain and the victim. My research had shown how important mise
en- scene was to achieving this effect, and the use of bright lighting, diegetic music and
costume defined the innocence and “goodness” of the victim very clearly, in a similar
way to Kyle Rees’ character in Terminator. The same techniques helped to clearly
signal the Equilibrium stage of the narrative, since all appears normal with no overt
How would you
change your
production if you
could re-shoot it?
Why?
sense of threat established through a more familiar set of genre conventions. Similarly,
I thought that the use of darker lighting and silence worked well when I cut to shots of
the villain.
My audience research had indicated the importance of micro-elements in constructing
meaning for the audience, and texts such as Silence of the Lambs, Terminator and 5th
Element provided me with some useful ideas to support my own character creation. In
my storyboard, I used the smaller, younger of my two actors to play the victim and the
taller, older actor as the villain. Like Terminator, this contrast helped audiences
understand the threat faced by the victim. I also used low-angle shots when
establishing the villain, to force the audience to “look up” to him, and thus understand
his dominant role. The use of mise-en-scene neatly tied in with my earlier idea to use a
teddy bear and family photographs on the victim’s bedside table, in order to connote
innocence and establish a relationship with the audience.
In terms of narrative, I think that I could have developed the background of the victim
even further, perhaps by making more of the relationships that are hinted at by the
pictures in the photo frames. In the 5th Element, Besson introduces the hero, Corbin
Dallas, while he is making a ‘phone call to an old friend. I think it would have helped
character exposition and audience sympathy if the actor playing the victim had spoken
to someone before the attack. However, the addition of heavy-breathing diegetic
sounds during the shots of the
villain worked very well to connote the monstrosity of this character. I am particularly
pleased with the effectiveness of the editing during the scene where the victim is
attacked. I used very short takes and frequent cuts to help increase the pace of this
part of the sequence, deliberately contrasting them with the relatively long takes at
the start
of the film to raise audience tension and excitement, in a similar way to the raid
sequence of Silence of the Lambs. The music also works very effectively here, too, as
the new track is much louder and faster.
However, if I were to re-make this film, I would spend more time on the edit so that
some of the action matched the beats of the music, in order to enhance the action. I
would also fade out the original non-diegetic sound track and fade in the new one –
currently, there is a bit of a jump from one to the next, which breaks the sense of
realism in the sequence.
Overall, I think I my media product is very effective, because it has been informed by
comparable media texts in order to conform to the codes and conventions of the
genre effectively, because it meets many of the expectations of a target audience of a
mainly male, 18-25 year old audience, but also subverts some expectations in order to
challenge stereotypes.